The operational categorization/degradation procedure of the category of operation of an airport runway is performed in a manual way.
The controller checks the status of the equipment and the weather conditions, analyzes this information using documentation (tables) and decides the category operation of the airport.
This process, using support equipment, is performed manually, so susceptible to human error, and there is till now a system that performs these functions automatically.
In a survey carried out to documents related with patents whose subject is related to this request of patent led to the identification of the following documents:                D1—U.S. Pat. No. 6,463,383 (B1)—Method and system for aircraft flow management by airlines/aviation authorities;        D2—JP2008110759 (A)—Airport control support system;        D3—WO 2010025825 (A2)—Airport control device and method for controlling flight operations at an airport;        D4—WO 2011056795 A2—Low visibility landing system and method;        D5—WO 2006070207 A1—Airport safety system;        D6—U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,567 A—System for enhancing navigation and surveillance in low visibility conditions;        D7—US 20110106345 A1—Low visibility landing system.        
Document D1 describes a method is presented for managing, in real time, the arrival and departure of a plurality of aircraft to and/or from a specified system resource (e.g., an airport, gate, section of airspace) or set of system resources based upon consideration of:                the surrounding weather conditions,        specified data regarding the system resource, and        the plurality of aircraft and their operational and safety goals.        
This method comprises the steps of:                (a) collecting and storing the specified data and weather conditions;        (b) processing the specified data and weather conditions to predict the aircraft's arrival fix times;        (c) using these predicted arrival fix times to compute the value of a specified goal function which is a measure of how well the aircraft will meet their safety and operational goals if they achieve the predicted arrival fix times;        (d) optimizing the goal function with respect to the predicted arrival fix times by identifying potential temporal changes in the predicted arrival fix times so as to better optimize the value of the goal function;        (e) translating these temporal changes into a new set of targeted arrival fix times or enroute speeds as necessary to meet the targeted arrival fix times for the aircraft;        (f) communicating the new targeted arrival fix times or enroute speeds as necessary to meet the targeted arrival fix times to the aircraft so that these temporal changes may be implemented;        (g) monitoring the system resource capacity, aircraft and weather to identify predicted changes in the targeted arrival fix times or system resource capacity which will result in a specified decrease in the value of the optimized goal function; and        (h) if such monitoring identifies that the specified decrease in the value of the optimized goal function is predicted to occur, repeat the above steps.        
The present patent application differs from D1 because D1 discloses a method and a system of air traffic management for aircrafts used by airlines and aviation authorities resulted from the need to optimize the arrival times of aircrafts, ensuring also the best safety conditions.
Otherwise, the present application is a system that ensures low visibility operation of an airport runway, as it calculates automatically or manually the category of operation depending on the status of various systems and weather conditions. Meteorological data, external resource, are used to calculate the category level of operation of the airport runway, which are not used for traffic management and optimization time of the arrival of the aircraft as is disclosed in document D1.
The document D2 presents a ground control support system control promptly providing support information required for a controller even during rush hour and poor visibility, reducing a burden on the controller and securing efficient operation of an airport.
It is based on ground radar information acquiring objects including moving bodies on the ground inside the airport; a monitoring control device having a monitoring screen and a radar acquiring button; and an image analyzing device identifying an image data position of the objects acquired by the airport ground radar when the radar acquiring button is operated and displaying the necessary information on the moving bodies currently acquired by the radar on the monitoring screen of the monitoring control device based on the image data position, operation plan information on the respective moving bodies prepared beforehand and sensor information on an aircraft sensor installed in the airport.
The present application differs from D2 since D2 discloses a system for managing ground traffic of an airport, identifying all moving objects within the airport by a ground radar providing information through a diagram shown to the controller and the present application is a management system for low visibility operations, categorizing/degrading the operation of the airport runway.
Both systems give support to the management of an airport, which provide supporting information to the controller, however they work in two distinct areas, D2 is related to the control area of ground objects, looking forward to road traffic management while the present patent application relates to the category-level operation of the airport runway looking forward low visibility landing operations, since it focuses on the management of all systems for landing in low visibility conditions.
The document D3 discloses an apparatus for controlling the airport and a method for controlling flight operations in the airport. Relates to an airport control device having a central database comprising a plurality of control data relevant to flight processing, and having a plurality of computer-aided subscriber devices (TOP) connected to the central database, each configured for planning and controlling a specialized partial process of flight processing, and having at least one analysis unit for analyzing the future traffic situation at the airport, considering control parameters related at least to a partial process of flight processing and desired by a subscriber device (TOP), and the control data present in the database. The subscriber devices (TOP) are further configured for analyzing desired control parameters using the at least one analysis unit, and for computer-aided negotiation of each of the desired control parameters, such that planning suggestions for flight processing that can be analyzed can be modified, accepted, or declined by the subscribed subscriber devices (TOP) by changing control parameters in an iterative process by means of the at least one analysis unit.
The present patent application differs D3, because D3 describes a system for processing flight data, using a centralized database, with information relevant for processing flight and the present application uses also a database that stores different information that is related to the status of relevant systems for low visibility operations and meteorological information.
Document D4 discloses a system and method for low-visibility landing which gives support to the pilot during the landing operation with low visibility conditions such that the aircraft can descend to lower altitudes without visual contact with the runway. The system can use several navigation systems to produce a hybrid signal that can be more stable than the individual signals of these navigation systems. D4 is a system and method directed to the pilot in low visibility operations and the present application is focused on providing information to the air traffic controller, although both systems relate to the landing operations of low visibility, but have totally different goals and characteristics.
Document D5 describes a security system of an airport, including ground radar to monitor the movement of aircraft, which provides the input signal to a computer arranged to identify the relative movements of aircraft and other vehicles detected by the radar, according to a set of rules pre-programmed risk of collision of an aircraft. The same reasons as for the document D2, document D5 also does not compare with the present application relate to the control area of an airport ground objects.
Document D6 discloses a system for enhancing navigation or surveillance in low visibility conditions through the use of one or more sources of ultraviolet radiation. D6 is based on sources of ultraviolet radiation, whereas this system, although it supports landing operations on low visibility conditions has no relations with the present application, which does not use any systems based on ultraviolet radiation.
Document D7 presents a landing guide to aircraft in low visibility conditions from approach to landing, being an additional system for landing support, has the same reasons as D6 to have no relations with the present application.